Can a minority child raised in the shabby sections of New York, Chicago, Watts or any other poor neighborhood in the country define pirouette?

Not much chance, claims the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest), a new organization alleging bias in standardized tests and hoping for changes to make the tests more equitable for minorities and others not born into mainly white upper-middle class America.

Pirouette (a ballet twirl) is an example of a word on a test that is skewed in favor of upper-middle class American kids, according to FairTest.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test, taken annually by more than one million college-bound students, is the most commonly known standardized test. But some nine million other Americans also take standardized tests each year to qualify for licensure in more than 50 fields from accounting to hair dressing and welding or to gain admission to graduate schools.

If test items are culturally-biased, then many takers of standardized tests have the cards stacked against them, according to FairTest.

FairTest cites the pirouette term as an example of SAT questions that discriminate against students who are not familiar with the activities and vocabulary of upper-middle class America. Such items are not fair to test- takers who do not fit that mold, claims the Cambridge, Mass., organization, because they reduce the chances of substantial numbers of minority persons from selecting more correct answers.

FairTest says other words that would be alien to most poor or minority test takers, but which appear in standardized tests, include sonata, minuet, melodeon, bridle, heirloom, conservatory and racquet.

''FairTest will examine the examiners,'' said Chuck Stone. A founding board member and former Director of Minority Affairs at the Educational Testing Service, dispenser of SATs and other standardized tests.

Stone, a senior editor at the Philadelphia Daily News, and professor of journalism at the University of Delaware, adds:

''This monopolistic testing industry cries out for public accountability and consumer oversight. FairTest will provide an authoritative source of independent information for admissions officers, legislators, journalists, parents and students.''